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The Finn Brothers

Friday, February 18; the Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard)

Last year's debut album by the Finn Brothers, Everyone Is Here, cemented an on-again, off-again lifelong musical partnership between Tim Finn and his younger sibling Neil. In the late '70s, Tim had invited Neil into his band Split Enz; the result was the worldwide hit "I Got You." In the late '80s, Neil returned the favor, giving Tim a yearlong turn in the exceptionally popular Crowded House.

It's been a long time since Crowded House broke up, and both Neil and Tim have produced a number of solo recordings, most of them good, few of them noticed. Finally, with neither brother more popular than the other, the logical thing to do was to put them together on an equal footing, and the Finn Brothers were born.

Everyone Is Here sounds like a true musical partnership. You can hear Neil's trademark soaring melodic hooks in song after song, but you also hear Tim's more oblique melodic developments and the deft arrangement skills of both brothers. The harmonies between these two voices are wondrous. They have a way of singing together that sounds as though there are three distinct parts at the same time. You can hear each brother's distinctive voice, and you can hear the blend between them in the middle.

In the last 25 years, Neil and Tim Finn have performed together only twice in the St. Louis area: once with Split Enz, once with Crowded House. For their concert Friday night, they will be accompanied only by a bass player, so the emphasis will be on those beautiful vocals and these splendid songs.

Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Friday, February 18. Tickets are $22.50; call 314-726-6161 for more information.